1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching arrangement for the input of interrupt signals and the output of interrupt acknowledgments by way of a single connection of an interrupt command logic of a computer system, and more particularly to a microcomputer system in which the logic staticizes an interrupt command as a function of signals which permit an interrupt in the computer system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The techniques of producing microcomputer architectures as integrated switching circuits are already known, whereby a complete microcomputer with an arithmetic unit, program and data memories, input and output circuits, as well as a clock generator, are integrated on a semiconductor chip.
In providing such a construction, an essential problem resides in the design of a microcomputer structure in such a manner that a housing may be used which has the lowest possible number of terminals.
In particular, the greater the number of terminals of the housing, the more complex and, therefore, more expensive the housing becomes. With an increasing number of terminals or with the use of a housing which is not common in the industry, it can even be possible that the expenditure and, therefore, the cost of the housing is great with respect to the total cost of the integrated microcomputer system. Normally, it would be requisite for interrupt programs to provide a connection, respectively, for the input of interrupt commands as well as for the output of interrupt acknowledgments. With such a construction, the interrupt routine alone would require two housing terminals.
It is known in the art to provide a software-type solution in order to avoid a plurality of connections for interrupt routines. For this purpose, another connection can be optionally utilized for more than one function, whereby the interrupt acknowledgment is output by way of this connection. This technique, however, represents a limitation of connections already present, a certain software expenditure and an inconvenience for the programmer.